This mountain range that spans the Western Region from north to south is over a thousand kilometers in length and once housed hundreds of Tribes, both large and small.

To the south of Huagi Mountain, there are three Great Tribes that control the Source Stone Mines. The nearest of these is called Night Fragrance Mountain, the territory of the Zhidun Guoluo Tribe.

After half a night, plus half a day of flight, they arrived at their destination.

Bearing the blazing sun overhead, the Dominating Throne hovered high in the sky, while Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid lay on the edge of the Stump Ant Nest, peering down for a closer look.

The mountains surrounded them on all sides, with majestic peaks and steep cliffs. At the center was a gourd-shaped lake.

It had hardly changed from the records on the map of Huagi Mountain; a stream hurtled down from the mountain gorge, flowing into the "bottom" of the gourd, while a babbling brook slowly trickled out from the mouth of the gourd.

In the past, the Zhidun Guoluo Tribe owned a very famous and particularly superfluous Divine God-Given Seed, named 'Night Fragrance.' It produced Origin Force Fruits that granted a Special Ability, also named Night Fragrance: "Releases an enchanting fragrance that completely masks one's own scent."

Using one scent to mask another—wasn't that redundant?

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid learned for the first time that a Divine God-Given Seed could also be utterly useless.

The Dominating Throne descended, docking at the mouth of the gourd-shaped lake.

The Knowledge Hall had recorded drawings. It was likely that the Night Fragrance God-Given Seed was planted in this area.

Normally, a Wild Divine God-Given Seed would be highly valued by an Insect Tribe, concealed, and guarded by formidable warriors working around the clock in secret and under strict protection, never allowing warriors from other Tribes to get close.

The Night Fragrance God-Given Seed, however, was different. It was openly planted by the lakeside, in the square where the Tribe conducted trade with Roving Merchants.

Zhidun Guoluo Tribe Warriors, Flame Spider Roving Merchants, or other friendly Tribal Warriors could all approach, visit, and interact.

If needed, one could negotiate directly with the Night Fragrance God-Given Seed to discuss the price.

Once the price was agreed upon, the Night Fragrance God-Given Seed would bloom and bear fruit, producing Divine-Grade Fruits that bestowed Special Abilities.

The Zhidun Guoluo Tribe basically did not manage the Night Fragrance God-Given Seed, allowing it to conduct its own business and fend for itself.

"Dragon Cypress, is it here? Should you go dig it up?"

"Dig up what?"

"The Source Stone of the Night Fragrance God-Given Seed. It's clearly recorded on the mural that it hides the Source Stones it has earned by the lakeside."

Are you still half asleep?

"Don't waste time," Dragon Cypress said. "I'll catch a couple of fish, cook them, fill our stomachs, then we can start work."

After saying that, Dragon Cypress took off, skimming across the surface of the lake.

"Oh!"

Ink Orchid also took off, plunging into the dense forest between the mountains.

「...」

They ate their fill and rested for several hours.

Dragon Cypress also spent several hours surveying the area, identifying three towering mountains suitable for the construction of nests.

In the evening, as the mountain breeze whisked away the day's heat, it was a good time for work.

Dragon Cypress chose a spot and called Ink Orchid over to start digging together.

Just as with the clumsy method used at the Xinghu Lake Ruins, they began by finding a steep location on the lower part of the mountainside and digging a horizontal tunnel into the mountain's interior.

The rock here was very hard, which made the digging particularly strenuous.

In the Origin Force vacuum, they had to return to the Dominating Throne to rest after a stint of digging.

After four consecutive days of digging into the mountain to a depth of fifty or sixty meters, they found nothing.

They could basically conclude that it wasn't this mountain.

There were two other peaks of about the same height remaining...

The Dominating Throne docked by the lakeside. They gathered around a large Metal Can to cook and rest.

"Ink Orchid, let's switch to another mountain to dig."

"Okay!"

"Which summit? You choose."

"Hmm—"

Ink Orchid hesitated, knowing the cost of choosing incorrectly was four days of fruitless busywork.

There are over thirty large Tribal ruins waiting to be explored on Cloud Trace Continent, once inhabited by Insects with populations over ten thousand.

What Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid lacked the most was time.

"That one?" Ink Orchid hesitated, lifting a foreleg to point.

Dragon Cypress declared, "Then we'll dig the other one!"

Ink Orchid responded, "???"

Dragon Cypress explained, "In my experience, every time you make a choice with full confidence, it turns out to be correct. Conversely, when you lack confidence, you tend to be wrong."

Dragon Cypress added, "Just now, you clearly lacked confidence."

Ink Orchid said, "..."

That actually makes some sense.

Ink Orchid had no retort.

Both mountain peaks looked the same.

It was settled then.

They rested for several hours, and when evening came, they went up the mountain, chose a spot, and started digging.

Four days later, they still had found nothing.

So only the last of the suitable peaks for constructing nesting dwellings remained.

After another four days, Dragon Cypress began to doubt his ant existence.

"Ink Orchid... I've found it! A rock wall enhanced by Earth System Abilities."

"Oh!"

"Awesome!"

Behind him, Ink Orchid cheered, waving its claws excitedly. "I told you to dig this one first, but you didn't believe me! Wasted time! You didn't believe me, wasted time..."

"Be careful. Don't damage my wing membranes..."

"We've wasted four days!"

"Then let's hurry up and find the entrance! Back up..."

They noisily retreated out of the tunnel.

They ate, rested, and observed the terrain.

Finally, Dragon Cypress chose a cliff facing the lake to the southwest.

The area in front of the cliff was a flat slope, which was most suitable for opening an entrance.

"Ink Orchid, point out a spot for me to dig."

"Here?"

When it came to making a decision, Ink Orchid suddenly felt uncertain, lightly raised its claw, and pointed.

Great! I trust you! Let's get to work!

Dragon Cypress began to dig without any hesitation.

He dug vertically down along the cliff face.

As Dragon Cypress dug, Ink Orchid used a bag made from animal skin to catch and haul the soil and rocks out to be dumped.

The first hole revealed nothing.

Ink Orchid pointed again.

The second hole was also incorrect.

Ink Orchid pointed once more, but it was still wrong...

Dragon Cypress dug deeper here. Working intermittently, it took half a day per pit. After digging five pits consecutively, when the sixth pit reached a depth of over four meters, Dragon Cypress's spiritual power brushed against a hard rock wall.

A reinforced tunnel wall.

The entrance is ahead.

He marked a new spot and began to dig.

After some complications, they finally located and unearthed the entrance to the Night Fragrance Mountain ruins.

Ink Orchid rushed in ahead, running inside.

Dragon Cypress followed at a calm and steady pace.

Insect Clan Warriors lacked imagination and innovation, so the design layout of their dwelling caves was more or less the same.

Inside was a hall for receiving distinguished guests or for Tribal Managing Warriors to gather and discuss matters.

A spiraling passage led down to the Tribal Treasury.

A long, straight, and narrow horizontal corridor led to the residence caves of the Tribe's senior Warriors.

Inside the residence cave, there were the remains of two Zhidun Guoluo Tribe Warriors, one large and one small.

Ink Orchid, who had dashed into the Treasury first, came back holding a section of a branch about one meter in length.

"Dragon Cypress! Exuviae of a Divine-Given Seed!"

"What tree?"

"I don't recognize it."

"Did you see any leaves?"

"No, I didn't."

"Then it must have been the Insect Clan Warriors who cleaned up the mess last, getting lazy and giving up on the finer branches and leaves, only storing the trunk."

"Yes."

Ink Orchid tossed the trunk to Dragon Cypress and turned away.

After too much time had passed, the surface of the trunk had charred and turned black, making it impossible to identify the species. Dragon Cypress glanced at it twice, tossed it on the ground, and sped up his pace down the corridor.

Similar to the structure of Huagi Mountain, Xinghu Lake, and Black Lotus Lake, the spiraling passage led downward, and every so often there would be a side passage leading to a cave stocked with Source Stone.

As the Source Stone was depleted, the last of the Insect Clan Warriors had cut the Exuviae of the Divine-Given Seed into pieces and stored them here.

Dragon Cypress released his spiritual power, scanning each cave as he passed by.

Ink Orchid came running back holding another tree trunk.

"Dragon Cypress! It's not the same tree! The second type of Divine-Given Seed Exuviae."

"That's normal. Night Fragrance Mountain controls Source Stone Mines and is quite wealthy. Let's see if there are any remaining Source Stones."

"Right! Source Stones!"

Ink Orchid dropped the trunk and turned to run back out.

This time, having left the Dominating Throne for a bit too long, Dragon Cypress worried that its excitement might cause it to forget the danger, so he started running too.

All the way to the bottom in one breath.

At the bottom of the Treasury was a square cave, roughly ten meters on each side, its entrance blocked by gray-white powder.

Source Stone powder?!

His spiritual power swept into the cave, and in the center lay a stump about one meter in diameter and one meter high.

Dragon Cypress and Ink Orchid leapt up in surprise.

It was the severed base of a Wild God-Given Seed, carved from where the Tree Heart was located!

This cave once brimmed with Source Stone, and its Origin Force had been drawn out by this stump, turning it into fine powder.

So then...

Dragon Cypress stepped forward to dig, shoveling away the somewhat hardened powder. As he drew close, his spiritual power scanned the inside of the stump.

There's still a faint trace of vitality remaining!

"The Tree Heart?" Dragon Cypress could hardly believe it.

"It's alive!" Ink Orchid exclaimed in awe.

"Quick! Carry it outside!" Dragon Cypress shouted urgently. His thoughts spun rapidly, and he changed his mind, correcting himself, "Be careful! Cut it open! Remove the Tree Heart and take it to the Dominating Throne to replenish its Origin Force."

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